BIG SCREEN
Movie: Potta Potti 50-50
Cast: Sadagopan Ramesh, Harini, R. Sivam, Avatar Ganesh
After a long wait, AVR Talkies' “Potta Potti 50-50” released quietly, starring a whole batch of fresh faces — Indian cricket star Sadagopan Ramesh, R.Sivan, Umar, “Avatar” Ganesh and many others. When the opening tribute to Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar comes onscreen, you realise that this movie ain't your regular Tamil fare.
Cricket clash
The movie is a quick trip to a sleepy village in Theni, where rival cousins — the sinister Kolaivanan (Umar), and the soft Kodaivanan (R.Sivan) — clash in a cricket match to win the hand of the heroine Ranjitham (Harini). Ramesh, one of the main protagonists, becomes the coach of Team Kodaivanan.
The movie starts with a slow pace, but once Ramesh enters the screen, the movie rockets forward. The storyline is packed with humour, and turns out to be a decent entertainer.
The cast of the movie, though very inexperienced, have pulled out a commendable performance. “Avatar” Ganesh, is a promising new find, who manages to keep us laughing throughout the movie.
Another surprise is Sadagopan Ramesh; this cricketer turns in a neat performance, but his expressions during romance scenes remind us that he's not a full-fledged actor.
The heroine, Harini, a natural face, suits the character of the storyline, but she has very little to offer in the movie.
Another plus is the crisp run-time of the movie, running to just about two hours.
New attempt
Though the movie has a fresh lease of life to it, the cricket scenes remind us a lot of the classic “Lagaan”. Newbie Yuvraaj has brought out a different flavour to the screen, after a long time. The other sections of the movie — music, cinematography and editing — complement the story, but they do not leave an impact.
We have seen sport flicks before; successful ones like “Lagaan”, “Chak De India”, and our own “Chennai-28”, and not-so-good stuff like “Victory” and “Dil Bole Hadippa”. But right now, it looks like “Potta Potti” is approaching the success list rather than otherweise.
Bottomline: New cast, different concept, good humour. This movie has it all. A neat entertainer. Nice job, Yuvraaj!
Published - August 10, 2011 04:05 pm IST
